NTSB says FAA should improve Boeing 787 lithium-ion battery testing

Lead ramp serviceman, Michael Paolilo, guides a Boeing 787 Dreamliner departing for Houston at Denver International Airport in Denver, CO May 21, 2013. It is the first flight from Denver after a delay caused by battery failures. (Photo By Craig F. Walker/The Denver Post)

The National Transportation Safety Board released a report Thursday, criticizing the process the Federal Aviation Administration uses to certify the lithium-ion batteries on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

The new jet was the economic key for United Airlines Denver-to-Tokyo route that began service last June. Its lighter weight, fuel efficiency and seating capacity made a new international route out of Denver International Airport less financially risky for the Chicago-based carrier.

A series of battery fires last year led to the longest grounding of an entire aircraft model in the history of U.S. commercial aviation. When the FAA lifted the grounding, NTSB continued investigating. It’s still unclear what caused the fire aboard a 787 parked at a gate in Boston last January, but the safety board made several suggestions to the government on its certification process.

Emilie Rusch covers retail and commercial real estate for The Post. A Wisconsin native and Mizzou graduate, she moved to Colorado in 2012. Before that, she worked at a small daily newspaper in South Dakota. It's the one with Mount Rushmore.